Not because of any technical issue, but rather because of a seemingly little but peculiar incident during the capsule’s return, what should have been a historic moment for space tourism and celebrity involvement in research has taken an unexpected turn.
After Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule, which transported pop sensation Katy Perry and an all-female crew, successfully landed, the focus shifted from the mission’s accomplishments to a video clip of the capsule’s hatch. Now, the video is at the heart of a frenzy of online conspiracy theories.
When Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos arrived to welcome the returning crew after the safe landing in the Texas desert, he ceremoniously opened the capsule door with a specialized tool. Before social media users started sharing videos of the door opening from the inside just moments ago, it was a picture-perfect moment of victory.
It seemed as though the door was momentarily opened from inside the capsule and then swiftly shut again, most likely so Bezos could stage the formal opening.
Many people believed it to be only a media choreography error. However, it was “proof” to some online users that the entire incident had been orchestrated.
This is the final nail in the coffin, in my opinion. FAKE! a commentator on X (previously Twitter) wrote. A second person added, “They opened the door from inside and then waited for Bezos to pretend to unlock it with a tool.”
Typically, pressurized spacecraft have gates that extend outward, are tightly sealed, and require help from outside workers, according to critics. The apparent simplicity of opening the capsule, particularly from the inside, caused doubters who were not familiar with the New Shepard technology to wonder.
By contrast, after re-entry, a trained crew usually needs to unlock and open the hatch of NASA’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which can take several minutes. Commentary that was filled with theory flourished because of this disparity.
“It doesn’t appear to be a pressurized hatch,” one X user commented. “Much like an unstable door.” Another person said, “It’s pretty certain that pressurized doors don’t open inwards.” The capsule resembles a tent that is inflatable.
But aerospace experts quickly clarified that the New Shepard capsule only briefly enters suborbital space, rising to a height of 66.5 miles (107 km), which is just above the commonly recognized Karman Line, which denotes the edge of space. Heat shielding and intense pressurization are not required because it does not re-enter at high velocities like orbiting spacecraft.
The hatch’s design complies with current spaceflight safety regulations by allowing access from both the inside and the outside. NASA and private space corporations have demanded escape mechanisms that enable crew members to open hatches from the inside in the event of an emergency since the fatal Apollo 1 disaster.
According to NASA regulations, “Doors shall be operable by a single crew member, from both sides of the hatch, in no more than 60 seconds.”
The crew, in this case Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, and others, have every right to open the capsule themselves once it depressurizes after landing. They were instructed to shut the door again before the cameras rolled after they unintentionally ruined a planned reveal with Bezos, which is the most plausible scenario.
Even Nevertheless, the bigger voices on the internet continued to be heard. The inclusion of a well-known celebrity like Katy Perry and Jeff Bezos, a millionaire who is frequently the focus of online criticism, made the expedition an easy target for conspiracy theories.
Further, some theorists asserted that the flight was a component of a symbolic message or “occult ritual,” referencing Perry’s previous performances, her outfit choices, and even the mission patch, which featured a rocket rising past stylized female faces.
According to one post, Katy Perry is a well-known occult booster in the industry. “Satanic rituals to mock God in the middle of Passover,” stated another commenter. What’s space for? Why at this time? What are these women doing? According to some, the patch had hidden symbolism; one user even said it looked like “a satanic goat with an upside-down cross when flipped.”
Dr. Daniel Jolley, a specialist in conspiracy psychology at the University of Nottingham, claims that space missions are prone to suspicion by nature. He says, “Most people cannot access space because it is vast and complex.” “It is easier for some people to challenge the official narrative in this situation.”
University of Kent social psychologist Professor Karen Douglas notes that people look for other answers when they are unclear, particularly during high-profile, fast-paced events. According to her, “people want clarity.” “Conspiracy theories replace explanations that aren’t readily apparent or appear overly planned.”
And what happens if you combine the wonder of space with contemporary media creation and celebrity participation? It’s the ideal combination for speculative virality.
Launch Site One in Texas hosted the Blue Origin NS-31 mission, which took off at 14:30 BST (08:30 local time). Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, Gayle King, Kerianne Flynn, Amanda Nguyen, and Aisha Bowe were among the passengers. The 11-minute trip successfully crossed the edge of space and returned without incident. The capsule briefly went weightless before gently landing close to the launch location after descending under parachutes.
Even though the door incident might not seem like much to many, it shows how easy presentation errors, even something as minor as who opens a door, can lead to deeper doubts in our hyperconnected, hyperskeptical society.
The flight’s science is still sound in the end. As a leader in space tourism, the New Shepard continues to provide amateur astronauts with brief suborbital flights.
This episode demonstrates how, in the era of social media, spectacle, and fame, even a successful space mission may devolve into internet myth-making, particularly when circumstances are just a bit too ideal.
